'The Pacific is too important to Europe and the rest of the world to be left by the wayside'. So reads one of the main conclusions of the recent Pace-Net Conference in Brussels.

This conference is part of a research cooperation project between Europe and the Pacific: Pace-Net (www.pacenet.eu), in which the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) is a major player, alongside the Institute of Research for Development (Noumea) which is coordinating the project, the University of the South Pacific (USP), the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) and 6 other Pacific and European institutions.

Organised by the German partner, the International Bureau of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, this conference brought together more than 100 scientists and representatives from the Pacific, Europe and the European Commission to address climate change. Research topics in the areas of water, agriculture and forestry, natural hazards, fisheries and research and innovation policies were discussed. The importance of involving political decision-makers in the research sector, more consideration for local settings and the need for a clear research and innovation policy are issues with which everyone concerned is familiar. On each of these themes, general briefing documents will be produced by the end of the year - SPC being responsible for the fisheries brief - for tabling at the next meeting in Suva in 2013.